Drew: The Man Behind the Poster

"The Norman Rockwell of movie advertising steps in front of the camera for a long-overdue celebration."

Part of the Art, Design, & Architecture series • Co-presented by Paint by Munzy

“From “Back to the Future” to “Star Wars,” the most iconic hand-painted movie posters of the past half-century all have Drew Struzan’s lower-case signature tastefully affixed to the images that set moviegoers’ expectations alight long before the projectors roll. In “Drew: The Man Behind the Poster,” the Norman Rockwell of movie advertising steps in front of the camera for a long-overdue celebration sure to delight fans and heighten awareness of his legacy.

““Drew” is the rare film that makes you wish that the film aspect ratio were turned on its side in order to do justice to the soft-spoken artist’s impressive oeuvre. By working closely with his subject and the roster of A-listers who have benefited from his brush (George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Michael J. Fox, Thomas Jane, etc.), director Erik Sharkey emerges with a predictably hagiographic portrait — albeit one very much in keeping with Struzan’s flattering style, which imbued even the dodgiest pics with a virtually incandescent quality that makes eyes twinkle, skin shine and tacky ’80s movies look hilarious.

“The lingering challenge of Struzan’s career has been the battle between hand-rendered promotional materials and the slapdash PhotoShop treatments that pass as movie posters today — frustrations that ultimately drove the artist to retire. While it will no doubt excite cineastes to see Struzan touring the halls of Lucasfilm or recalling a conversation with Jim Henson about how his paintings made the Muppets look alive, glimpses of Struzan’s later work drive home how much our enthusiasm for his output is tied up in the underlying properties — which have expanded to include Harry Potter, Hellboy and “The Shawshank Redemption.”

“Of course, Struzan was fortunate to have earned Spielberg and Lucas’ patronage, though such directors also benefited enormously from the way his paintings positioned the mythical worlds they created. A recurring theme among Struzan’s genuinely awestruck admirers is the fact that the illustrator — a man who put the “art” in “key art” — inspired them to elevate their own craft. “We’ve had to live up to Drew’s art,” admits Spielberg, while Frank Darabont gushes, “The idea of having Drew Struzan do your poster is almost worth making a movie just for that.”” - Variety